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Apr 19 To Market Pantry: GrandyOats Real Granola

In my next life, I want to be a granola head, even if just to work at GrandyOats. The decades-old granola company had a rebirth in 1997, when new owners took over. It now produces its granolas, trail mixes, roasted nuts and hot cereals in a cool, new, custom-designed, 100% solar-powered building in Hiram, Maine. That means their lights, heating, cooling, forklifts, computers and ovens are all powered entirely by the sun. GrandyOats is the first net zero food production facility in New England. Their system offsets more than 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year, or (according to the company website) “the amount of miles equivalent to driving from Hiram, Maine, to San Francisco, California, and back 25 times.” Owners Aaron Anker and Nat Peirce run their business with a commitment to natural, healthy and intentional living, a contagious philosophy that defines GrandyOats’ culture.

I had been seeing the GrandyOats line in supermarkets for a few years, but it was their Coconola, introduced in 2016, that caught my eye recently. Like other small-batch, handmade granolas, it is defined and marketed by what’s NOT in it (no oats, no wheat, no soy, no gluten and no GMO products). It comes in nine-ounce bags decorated with certification badges—Paleo-Certified, Gluten-Free Certified, USDA Organic-Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified and Kosher. With local honey, local maple syrup and Maine sea salt, it’s good for you and good for the planet. And where other “decorated” granolas may be too sweet, have too much cinnamon (for my taste) or contain annoying chewy chunks that stick to my teeth, Coconola gets it just about right.

Two new flavors, Choco-Chunk Coconola and Super Hemp Blend, will be out this year. grandyoats.com

A longtime contributor to Edible Boston, Rosie DeQuattro, happily joins the community of writers at To Market. In 2014, she and her husband made a huge transition and moved from Boston to Maine where, not too surprisingly, life continues much the same as it always had. Her work can now be seen in a few local (Maine) publications. Contact her at rosiedequat@hotmail.com

A longtime contributor to Edible Boston, Rosie DeQuattro, happily joins the community of writers at To Market. In 2014, she and her husband made a huge transition and moved from Boston to Maine where, not too surprisingly, life continues much the same as it always had. Her work can now be seen in a few local (Maine) publications. Contact her at rosiedequat@hotmail.com